Personalized student learning in math helps get students ready for college, career and life

 

POSTED ON Nov 06, 2020

 

Khan Academy, a nonprofit educational organization, says it will serve half a million students in more than 100 public school districts this year through its Khan Academy Districts program, and the MAP Accelerator, which it conducts in partnership with the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA).

Prior to the launch of the Khan Academy Districts program and the MAP Accelerator, Long Beach Unified reported students who used Khan Academy gained twice the district average on the state math assessment. Findings held true regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, family income, or English language learner status.

The MAP Accelerator reduces the manual work of differentiating mathematics instruction for teachers. Currently, MAP Accelerator districts include Glendale Unified School District, Pajaro Valley Unified School District,  Madera Unified School District, and Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada, the fifth-largest school district in the country.

“The information we are gathering as we enter the second year of partnership with Khan Academy and NWEA has been a valuable tool for our teachers and administrators especially during distance education,” said Dr. Jesus Jara. “MAP Accelerator helps us support personalized learning and differentiated instruction for all our students.”

NWEA has developed Pre-K–12 assessments and professional learning offerings for more than 40 years. Across the schools using Khan Academy Districts and MAP Accelerator offerings, 67% of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch (the national average is 49%), 45% of students are Latino/Hispanic (the national average is 27%), and 19% of students are Black (the national average is 15%).

“No one could have imagined the scenario we find ourselves in with COVID-19,” said Catherine Wang, Khan Academy’s vice president of marketing and strategic partnerships. “In this challenging time, we’re glad to be working with district partners in large cities and small towns across 38 states.”

School districts that have enrolled in Khan Academy Districts, include the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Trenton Public Schools, Omaha Public Schools, and the Roswell Independent School District.

Michelle Rodriguez, superintendent of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District in Watsonville, California, said the partnership with Khan Academy helps to ensure students are ready for college, career, and life. “MAP Accelerator is a powerful tool that improves teachers’ ability to personalize student learning in mathematics,” she said.

“The efficacy study in Long Beach Unified helped provide an impetus to launch our district offerings,” said Sal Khan, founder and CEO of Khan Academy. “Since then, the pandemic and protests over systemic racism have put into sharp focus the challenges facing millions of students across the country. Many of our district partners serve students who are historically under-resourced and we’re committed to supporting their efforts.”